Schumer: Let pharmacies fill pet prescriptions

Sunday

Jul 20, 2014 at 11:09 AM

The AP

ALBANY | U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says pet owners could save millions of dollars on prescriptions for their animals if they could buy the drugs at ordinary pharmacies.The New York Democrat says Sunday that he’s working with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on legislation that would require veterinarians to write prescriptions to allow owners to buy the medication at a pharmacy or online.Schumer says many owners pay too much for pet medications because veterinarians don’t provide prescriptions unless asked, and sell the drugs themselves at much higher prices than pharmacies.He says pet owners in the U.S. spend $10 billion each year on pet medications and other health-related products.